In general, an electrical connector comprises a housing having passageways for receiving a plurality of terminals therein, and a flap for reliably maintaining the terminals in the housing passageways. The housing comprises a plurality of resilient housing lances extending from an inner wall of the respective passageways to engage the terminals and to maintain them in their positions. The flap has projections projecting therefrom to engage the associated terminals and to push them along their axial directions for engagement by the housing lances thereby maintaining the terminals in the housing.
However, as the resilient housing lances are relatively long, it is difficult for the lances to resist a strong pulling force which may act on the terminals. On the other hand, the flap has a pair of latch projections at opposite ends of the flap so that these projections can engage the housing to latch the flap in a closed position on the housing while the projections engage the terminals. Thus, a disadvantage resulted in that, when the terminals are subjected to a strong pulling force, the force is transmitted to the flap via the projections so that the flap will bend or deflect whereby the latch projections may disengage from the housing.